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WSIRN Ep 114: Missed bookstore connections

Time FLIES when you’re reading a good book… and, turns out, when you’re podcasting. Today we’re marking WSIRN’s second anniversary! I thought it would be fun to rewind allllll the way back to our VERY FIRST GUEST, my ever-colorful friend and the co-host of The Popcast: Jamie Golden. Today you’ll get to hear some secrets about what I originally had planned for the show (and which of these plans we threw out the window) a totally true bookshop story about Tom Hanks, a literary pop culture lightning round, and Jamie’s pitch for WSIRN: After Dark.

Plus, of course, some fresh recommendations to perk up Jamie’s reading life – and maybe yours – in 2018.

Let’s dive in!

What Should I Read Next #114: Missed bookstore connections with Jamie Golden

Connect with Jamie Golden: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Check out The Popcast: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Books mentioned in this episode:

Some links are affiliate links. More details here.

• Persuasion, by Jane Austen (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• 11/22/63, by Stephen King (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• The Last Mrs. Parrish, by Liv Constantine (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Ready Player One,  by Ernest Cline (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays, by Samantha Irby (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Pachinko, by Min  Jin Lee (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• What Alice Forgot, by Liane Moriarty (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Castle of Water, by Dane Hucklebridge (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• I’d Know You Anywhere, by Laura Lippman (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Sunburn, by Laura Lippman (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• He Said/She Said, by Erin Kelly (Amazon Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• The Almost Sisters, by Joshilyn Jackson (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Gods in Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Last Ride to Graceland, by Kim Wright (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, by Sheri Fink (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)
• Before the Fall, by Noah Hawley (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound)

Also mentioned: 
• WSIRN Ep 1: Books that inspire crying jags and sleepless nights, w/Jamie Golden
• The Popcast LIVE! Louisville, 2017
• Potterotica podcast
• Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
• The Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA
• Book People in Austin, TX
• WSIRN Ep 65: The joy of buying books on someone else’s dime, w/Graylin Porter
• S-Town podcast

What do YOU think Jamie should read next? Tell us all about it in comments. 

29 comments

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  1. Lindsay says:

    Highly recommend for Jamie “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” by John Boyne … It is sprawling historical fiction like Pachinko. Despite it being often tragic, it has this amazing humorous voice that I think she would really love. Such an amazing book. But at close to 600 pages.. definitely not a one sitting read .. unless on an airplane!!

  2. Brittany says:

    “Listen, I can’t get my Bugles dust on my beautiful hardback book, can I?” Laughed out loud while listening at work!

    Also apparently I need to re-read Wuthering Heights because my 17 year old self loved it but maybe my almost 30 year old self won’t!

  3. Anne and Jamie, Thanks for making me laugh and keeping me awake on my drive home from teaching last night. There were so many things that I could comment on, especially about the movies and actors you talked about, but I won’t be a movie nazi. I will say that the kiss in the Sally Hawkins, Rupert Penry-Jones version of Persuasion is the director’s fault. I loved everything else about that version. My husband and I took a trip circumnavigating the globe in 1996 and Bath was one of our stops. It’s a lovely place to visit. Have fun there, Jamie.

    I have no recommendations for Jamie, because I’m with Knox, I love stories with detailed character development. But it was fun hearing about all the books you two talked about. Every episode I feel like such a novice reader because you rarely mention any of the books I’ve read, except for some of the classics. My TBR list gets longer every week.

    Happy 2nd anniversary, Anne. I’m glad I found your podcast.

  4. Kelly Prunty says:

    Wow. First of all, I love your podcast; however,I find Jamie Golden so overbearing. I almost didn’t follow your podcast when she was the first guest and now I remember why. I was unable to finish this one as well. Yikes!

  5. Andrea says:

    Such a fun episode! WRT trustworthy reviews/randomness of Goodreads, I would HIGHLY suggest checking out Litsy. Even if you don’t want to add another social media distraction, I find it an invaluable source of hard core readers reviews ?
    I must also suggest The Immortalists which came out last week: generational story, great ‘what would I do’ premise of whether you’d want to know the date of your death/what you’d do with that information, and transportive settings: 60s NYC, Harvey Milk era in SF, and the world of early Vegas magicians.

    • Jill W. says:

      A Gentleman in Moscow is the perfect recommendation for someone who likes books with context. Also, I second Anne’s recommendation of Joshilyn Jackson’s books. They are all wonderful (especially on audio), but Between Georgia and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty are my personal favorites.

  6. Katie Beasley says:

    I WAS ACTUALLY IN PARNASSUS WITH TOM HANKS! I really enjoyed this episode. I’m a long time listener and have always wanted an excuse to write in. I’m a Nashville native and live about a mile from Parnassus, hence my ever growing book stack. I was in Parnassus shopping when he came into the store. I would love to tell you the story and about the time Ann Patchett crashed my book club if you want to have me on the podcast. Sorry not sorry for the shameless plug. Haha

  7. Angie K says:

    What a great episode!! Please, please come to Thomasville! So fun to hear my sweet little town mentioned. The Bookshelf is spectacular and oh how I’d love to meet you! Happy 2 years, so glad I found this podcast! My TBR list has never been longer!

  8. Jennifer Bubb says:

    I loved this episode. Jamie makes me laugh and I think our reading tastes are similar. Adding to my TBR stack….

    Happy Anniversary, Anne! Wishing you many, many more!

  9. Linda Hanna says:

    Anne and Jamie – I listen to both of your podcasts every week so this was really fun! Jamie, To Kill a Mockingbird, 11/22/63 and Me Before You are all books I loved so I’m thinking we have similar taste. Here are three books I couldn’t put down: Dark Matter by
    Blake Crouch; The Passage by Justin Cronin; and Defending Jacob by William Landay. Also, if you have never read the oldie, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, it is a must read. I just read it this year and adored it. Different in tone than the other three but truly beautiful! Happy Reading!!

  10. Jenn Rudsit says:

    This was AWESOME. As far as context goes, I think Jamie would really love Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton!

  11. kate green says:

    Two GREAT worlds collide! I was so giddy when Anne asked Jamie if she wanted to talk about her books and Jamie gasped like she was about to say, ‘Let’s talk about my booooooks!’ I heard it in my head that way, for sure! Love you both(and your podcasts!) SO much.
    All the hearts and love to you 🙂

  12. Laura says:

    I discovered your podcast a bit more than a year ago. Last week I had run out of new podcast episodes from all my subscription lists and decided to listen to the first WSIRN podcast. I enjoyed it, but the first thing that came to mind was: “How short! She didn’t discuss anything else about Jamie’s reading life! I’m so glad that the current podcasts have so much interesting discussions!” So boy was I glad when I listened to this episode today and found Jamie was back! I’m happy the old format didn’t last long! Happy anniversary!

  13. Denise Cormaney says:

    Jamie is a delight! I think she’d really like The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne; SO GOOD! And I know she’ll love Castle of Water. I also have to share my own missed bookstore connection! A few years ago I went to my favorite local bookstore, One More Page Books in Arlington, VA on Small Business Saturday. Later that day I saw on Facebook that PRESIDENT OBAMA and his daughters visited the shop about 10 minutes after I left!!! The owner had no idea he was coming (it was a surprise for security reasons); otherwise she would’ve told me to stick around. I was SO BUMMED! I was happy he visited my favorite bookstore, though!

  14. Jennifer Rodgers says:

    I think Jamie should read City of Refuge by Tom Piazza. It will hit her sweet spot with context, disasters, and Katrina. I would love to know what she thinks.

  15. Nicole H says:

    Ohhh…..loved it until the Emma Watson book club dis. It’s like asking if Jamie would’ve been interested in a book club of all woodworking titles. They aren’t necessarily after the same audiences.

  16. Lisa E says:

    Love your podcast, Anne! Jamie made me laugh and for the most part, I enjoyed listening. I must add that I was very disappointed in her comments about Emma Watson and her book club. Took me out of the conversation for a bit, as I find Emma’s humanitarian/feminist work so important right now. But that aside, it was, as usual, a lovely way to spend an hour. xoxo

  17. Joy says:

    I’d recommend for Jamie the book Ruby by Cynthia Bond due to the interest in a family generation, connection with the South, and rich context.

  18. Nikki says:

    I usually love your podcast, but this time I loved it AND laughed out loud SO many times! I’m so glad you recommended the Popcast again recently (and I finally subscribed). Like an earlier commenter, I ran out of episodes of What Should I Read Next, but rather than starting from the beginning, I’m going backwards from where I started. I still enjoy the earlier episodes, but I do appreciate the longer format!
    I think Jamie should read Elizabeth Gaskell if she loves Jane Austen and a gut-wrenching book that’ll make you ugly cry. While I love North and South and Wives and Daughters, they’re more Austen than ugly cry. Try Mary Barton, Ruth, or Sylvia’s Lovers for something different. I also adored Jamie’s description of needing context. I maybe think I’m a blend of Jamie and Knox – I need context and character development.
    On a more general note, thanks to you Anne and your team for all that you do to put this podcast out weekly! It has introduced me to some of my new favorite books (All the Light We Cannot See and The Red Tent) and two new favorite authors (Allison Pataki, Sarah J. Maas, and L.M. Montgomery), and added substantially to my TBR list!

  19. Lindsay says:

    A couple of times you both mentioned a third author a reader might enjoy if they like Wendell Berry and Marilynn Robinson, and I couldn’t catch the name either time? Who was it? (I like both those authors!)

  20. Bridgette says:

    Ok – this might come up – I’m too impatient to actually finish the podcast before posting – but TOM HANKS reads an ANN PATCHETT Audio book! The Dutch House – perhaps you know, but it was just entirely too many coincidences for me not to mention!

    Loving this podcast so far … and also loved the Stephen King book but not sure I can tolerate James Franco to watch it (shh – this makes me very unpopular lol)

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